sha in LA

the JMWB walk recap

I don't think I could have asked for a more perfect day for my exploration of James M. Wood Blvd.

As I walked up to the corner of Wilshire and Western a group walkers had already assembled, yes I was just a few minutes late to my own gathering...tsk, tsk. We waited about 10 minutes for any late comers who may have been traveling by train and ended up getting under way with the trek around 12:20. The walk down Western was very uneventful and rather hot with the sun beating down on us in the concrete jungle but as soon as we turned the corner onto JMWB the adventure began. There were 7 of us in total, all armed with cameras and a love of residential architecture. We were treated to numerous magnificent buildings of a past era and ended up taking a few detours along the way to check out particularly interesting buildings that we saw down random side streets. Big props to Eric who spotted the roof of a Victorian on Bonnie Brae which turned out to be Historic Cultural Monument No. 45.

[Historic Cultural Monument No. 45 on Bonnie Brae]

We also stumbled upon an Open House of a recently renovated building dubbed The French Chateau. I immediately recognized it from a CurbedLA post a few months ago. It was stunning if not slightly overpriced considering the neighborhood.

Due to our slow-as-a-snail pace and the frequent side trips we ended up making it into Downtown around 3pm and stopped by the Figueroa Hotel for a quick drink on the patio where we were sadly out of place next to the dolled up Grammy crowd. Needing something more substantial than chips and salsa we racked our brain for a chill place to grab a bite to eat so early in the afternoon on Sunday - most places opened at 5pm. Finally we came up with Casey's, it was closer to the Metro stop and provided grub. Perfect! Even more perfect was the fact that Happy Hour had just begun! For obvious reasons I had a specialty drink dubbed The River Shannon (vodka, ginger ale, splash of grapefruit juice). After regaining strength from the finger food nosh we all headed in different directions back home.

My full flickr set is here. When others send their pictures I'll post the links.

I wonder what street I'll tackle next year....oh well, I got a whole year to figure that out.

x

Super Fat Tuesday Night in Downtown

Many thanks to LAist and Answer With Action for hosting a Super Fat Tuesday Election Night Party at Seven Grand last night. Neon Boy and I arrived shortly before 8pm knowing full well that we were too late to be one of the 1st 75 in attendance and eligible for the “first drink on us” aspect to the evening. That didn’t matter, we had already called ahead to the Los Angeles Pizza Company and would be shortly receiving the best pizza in town for all to ogle at. Much better than a free drink, right?

The place was lively to say the least, and I was quite thrilled to find a perch smack dab in the middle of it all. Numerous members and close associates of the 3BN were in attendance and we all had a chance to catch up with each other which was nice. I also introduced myself to the newly appointed editor of LAist, Zach Behrens, who seems like the most genuine and down to earth guy you could ever meet.

We weren’t able to stay for long as I had to meet up with a friend over at the newly renovated Eastern Columbia Lofts around 9:30. Neon Boy and The Gentrifier had yet to see the interior so we all walked over there together. An hour and a half later (most of that time was spent on the pool deck taking pictures) 2/3rds of us stopped by the Golden Gopher for a nightcap.

[the one picture deemed worthy enough for publishing from my camera]

Overall it was a rather tame evening by our usual standards. Maybe we’re getting old. Actually, according to my calendar it looks as if that statement is true…

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p.s. would Super Fat be a Baby Fat on steriods?

that was easy

This year I requested an absentee ballot with the intention of sending it in well prior to the mail in date. That didn’t happen, however the feeling of walking by a long line of people at the polling place to drop off my ballot and get the “I Voted” sticker was almost as thrilling as this evenings returns are sure to be.

Plus the sticker will entitle me to one free drink at 7 Grand if I’m one of the first 75 to show up proudly displaying said accoutrement.

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the JMWB walk

I went out on a final recon mission this weekend to determine the route I’d be exploring on foot this coming Sunday. I made my way to the corner of Western and James M. Wood Blvd. (formerly known as 9th Street) and proceeded EAST, shortly thereafter my decision was made. JMWB has the perfect blend of residential with small mom and pop shops thrown in for good measure. The total trip distance from start to finish is just over 3 miles which by my calculations won’t take very long. Averaging a generous 30 minute mile, this will put us Downtown possibly before 2pm, depending on how many side streets we spontaneously want to investigate in addition to the regular route.

I felt especially secure in my choice when I arrived at the cross street Garland, a sign from the gods I do believe:

Curious to know more about this nondescript building that bears my name, I did a creative google search and found the following.

Curious to know more about James M. Wood, I did a google search and found a few things, including this.

If you plan on joining the exploration of James M. Wood Blvd. then please be "on time [and] with style".

When: Sunday February 10, 2008 at NOON
Where: NE corner of Wilshire and Western
Why: Just because…

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i love the smell of freedom in the evening

As of approximately 10:20pm this coming Saturday night I will be a free woman. Free to do whatever my heart so desires every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night until the end of time!!!

OK, maybe I exaggerate a bit. Technically speaking I’m scheduled to stage manage the next main stage show for my theatre company which opens far too soon, on May 9th. This does give me the requisite 3 months off in between each production that I have recently needed to "re-charge the batteries" so to speak. However once that show is complete I will definitely be commencing the "retirement" portion of my theatrical career. Save for a few key people, and anyone wanting to pay me an insane amount of $$ to do what I do best.

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damn ants!

Heaven help me if I come home again to find another random ant invasion.

It's not like I leave old food laying around or am a particularly messy person. OK, maybe the mail piles up on the kitchen table along with random pieces of clothing (don't ask), but none of that should play a key role in their sudden, frequent appearances.

I'm convinced there are 2 external issues involved which directly leads my apartment to being infested with the little f*ckers. First, since the fire there has been a lot of activity on the foundation area of the building very near where my apartment is located. Their home soil is being disrupted so they are searching for a new place to play and have found some sort of crack to Heaven which leads to various spots in my apartment. Once in the safe haven known as my apartment they meet instant death in the form of a Windex bottle. Honestly, my place has never been as clean as it is now. It's like I'm multi-tasking, and it's exactly what I want to be doing at midnight.

Second, even though the owner and property manager refuse to admit it, this building is slowing being eaten by termites. I know firsthand and will save the specifics. Usually I only have issue with the wood eating f*ckers once or twice a year when the weather changes to dramatically hot, however since the fire they have been making an appearance much more than normal. Thankfully they are already dead once they reach my place. Oops, TMI. Sorry.

So yes, I live with bugs. It's kinda like communing with nature. But before there were houses, apartments and lofts there were mud huts and I'm sure those mud hut dwellers had to deal with similar issues. As long as my Windex bottle is close by I'll be A-OK.

I guess after this post I won't see a lot of people eager to come for a visit. No mind, I ain't hardly ever home no ways.

And feel free to share any tips you have for ridding the little f*ckers, other than Windex. Thanks.

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